Agenda item

The Head of Corporate Strategy and Client Services and the Environmental Services Client Manager (Waste & Recycling) will give a presentation to the Panel providing an overview of the contract, the monitoring arrangements and future developments.

The Panel received a presentation of the Environmental Services Client Manager (Waste and Recycling).  The presentation provided the Panel with a background to the contract, an overview of the services provided, an explanation of how the contract was managed by the Council's environment client team and details of the performance mechanisms that were in place.

The Environmental Services Client Manager (Waste and Recycling) referred to the new co-mingled recycling service.  He reported that in the first few weeks of operation the total amount of recyclables collected had increased from a weekly average of 65 tonnes to over 250 tonnes.  The amount collected had now settled to approximately 20 tonnes per day.  A further update on the levels of participation of this service would be provided at a later date.

Following a question from the Chair, the Environmental Services Client Manager (Waste and Recycling) responded that there were four additional vehicles as part of the service.  The service had one fewer round for compostable waste.  He added, following a question from Councillor Hastrick, that the vehicles were interchangeable and could be used for the different rounds.

The Environmental Services Client Manager outlined how the street cleansing, parks and open spaces teams operated through a 'village' approach.  The Head of Corporate Strategy and Client Services explained that in the past parks had been split into 'North' and ‘South' and the street cleansing teams had been split into a number of clusters.  The new approach was more integrated and this encouraged a sense of pride in the areas.

In response to a question from Councillor Joynes about leaves, the Environmental Services Client Manager (Waste and Recycling) explained that a leaf fall collection programme was in operation which would continue until the end of the year.  The Portfolio Holder added that leaf fall was an unpredictable situation affected by climatic conditions. 

The Chair asked whether there had been an increase in contamination levels of the recyclables.  The Environmental Services Client Manager (Waste and Recycling) confirmed that it was likely that contamination levels had increased since the new service was introduced.  There would be an increasing focus on quality going forward.  The Chair added that this was an important issue for marketing.

Councillor Joynes reported that she had been at a residents' meeting which was attended by representatives from Veolia.  She had been very impressed by their presentation.  The Environmental Services Client Manager (Waste and Recycling) noted that the Outreach Officers could be available for future residents' meetings.

The Partnerships and Performance Section Head asked whether data was available on the areas which were the source of the contamination.  The Environmental Services Client Manager (Waste and Recycling) said that in most cases it may be possible to identify areas from which any contamination was found. This would be carried out by monitoring, crew feedback and contractor reports.  Flats often suffered with contamination due to the shared use of the bins . Consistent monitoring and remedial actions would alleviate some of the issues faced.  He explained how the waste and recycling system operated in flats and the Outreach Officers were looking for opportunities to engage in these areas.

The Environmental Services Client Manager (Waste and Recycling) advised that as the new service settled in, there would be increased vigilance about contamination.

Councillor Greenslade reported that there was some bagged street cleansing waste in Cow Lane which had not been removed for several days. The Environmental Services Client Manager (Waste and Recycling) advised that this would be followed up with Veolia.

The Chair suggested that it would be useful for the Panel to see performance indicators where performance points had been triggered.  She added that she was particularly interested in the residents' views of the service.  Councillors would be interested in whether the performance was as high as before the contract started.  The Environmental Services Client Manager (Waste and Recycling) suggested that benchmarks against previous performance could be reported.

The Partnerships and Performance Section Head suggested that the Community Survey could be a good source of data about the views of residents.

Councillor Hastrick noted that she had had very good feedback about the new recycling service.  She referred to the size of the new bins and detailed problems that some of her residents had had with them.  The Environmental Services Client Manager (Waste and Recycling) advised that the larger bin size was standard for most households but if any residents had particular problems, a solution could be found.

Councillor Greenslade advised that maisonettes had little space for an extra large bin.  The Environmental Services Client Manager (Waste and Recycling) responded that bin-sharing was an option, or this was an issue that the Outreach Offices could look into.

The Head of Corporate Strategy and Client Services highlighted that it was important that most bins were a standard size.  The new service needed to be established before making too many changes.  However, where it made sense or serious difficulties had been experienced, appropriate solutions could be sought.

Councillor Rackett referred to the issue of flyposting.  He noted that circuses were a major source of the problem.  He asked whether there were any penalties for organisers of events which took place on Council land and whether officers could work with neighbouring authorities to tackle the issue.  The Head of Corporate Strategy and Client Services responded that she would report the suggestion to the officers reviewing the events programme.  The Portfolio Holder said that it was his understanding that circuses had a special dispensation to put up posters at certain designated sites.  Councillor Rackett advised that there had also been flyposting on empty shops as well as street furniture.  The Head of Corporate Strategy and Client Services responded that this issue would be reported to Planning Enforcement.

ACTION - Environmental Services Client Manager to report the issue to Planning Enforcement.

RESOLVED  –

That the presentation and the Panel's comments be noted.